Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000 - Classic Car Review
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- Опубликовано: 14 сен 2015
- The Mk2 Escort is unquestionably one of the most iconic cars ever conceived. A car that would transform the lives of ordinary families, and motorsport superstars alike.
And yet questions remain over Ford's decision to replace the famous flat grille with a 'droop snoot' nose cone for the Mk2 RS2000.
With prices sky rocketing, it's not a question of popularity or value. So what is the story behind 'that grille'?
Motoring presenter, Paul Woodford goes back to his rally roots to take a fresh look at Ford's take on the pointy-nosed 'droop snoot' revolution that took hold in the 1970s.
The real question, is would the RS2000 ever be this good again?
For more classic motoring content, visit www.classicsdriven.co.uk and follow @classicsdriven on Twitter to join the discussion.
For more information on Paul, visit www.paulwoodford.co.uk.
Thank you to Mike Wilding, owner of this Escort RS2000.
Credits:
Rally footage - thanks to the Special Stage Rally TV Show
Soundtrack - thanks to the following royalty-free artists:
"The Escalation" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
"Undaunted" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b... 
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Love that grill. I still remember when it was launched. Didn't think there was anything cooler at the time.
Doyle drove the RS in The Professionals - not Bodie
Hahaha brilliant 😂
Lovely review, thanks! I owned a black RS2000 for a couple of years in the early eigthies and I still miss it...
One of my favourite cars of all time and that one looks stunning
The mk2 RS2000 was my dream car when I was in my teens albeit the insurance for me would have been in the stratosphere.
The mk3 Escort simply didn't have the same charisma as the mk2 but that's just my opinion.
As for the Sierra taking over from the Cortina, I was very disappointed.
That blue is a fantastic colour I can't ever remember seeing one in that colour in reel life.
They did a few blue cars. One colour was midnight blue the other was riviera blue & if i remember right the other was nordic blue.
Another good review. I loved my Venetian Red/Black Fishnets Custom back in the mid 80's, such a simple car and so easy to drive. They look so small nowadays. 'CTG355V' dead and buried but not forgotten...
I’ve had my rs2000 custom for 32 years loved it then sill love it today original and in mint condition
I'm envious of you mate.
I suspect you'll find another reason for there being so many flat front RS2000's in works team rallying during the 70's was due to the technical restrictions in place at the time around the number of forward facing lights that could be fitted to a rally car (from memory I think it was 6), remembering that in the 70's rallies were run over day and night stages, the latter being where you needed as much light as possible, the twin 5" headlights on the droop snoot looked amazingly cool on that car but didn't produce the amount of light that 2 x 7" Cibie quadoptics coupled with 4 x7" Cibie Oscar's or Iode's could, therefore remove the droop snoot and install the flat front. Either way the droop snoot on the Mk 2 was and IMHO still is one of the best looking cars Ford ever made.
Nice video. I was reminded of hammond but that is a credit to him and you. Plus i love rs2000. Keep it up
Fabulous Paul, I wish someone else would take example from the Haynes international collection and invite everyone with such a classic to join a fabulous collection that the public could visit all year round and enjoy...Surely better than hiding these beauties away in rusty old containers?? 🙏🇬🇧
Couple of additional points. The bonnet is unique to the RS2000 along with the droop snoot and the front wings. And the car did not only spend time on the rally stages. Overall winner of the famed Nurburgring 24 hours in 1979 and 1980 plus almost clean sweep of the class at the same event between 1976 and 1982. Ditto the class wins at the even more famous Spa 24 hours up until 1980. I had one, and it was very great fun to drive, although a 5 speed gearbox and better brakes and rear suspension would not have gone amiss.....
Had 3 RS's 2 MK1's and 1 MK2. Wish I had them now. They go for silly money. True classic, in my view.
Cracking video; even got a clip of my car in there: the red and blue striped Grp1 car PCA42!
The RS 2000 droop snoot was iconic.
But the Harrier Go-faster-stripe was every bit as much an icon, never to be beaten!
Oh, so want an RS2000. My dream car as a kid in the 1980s. Eventually got a Mk2 1.6 GHIA and did a lot of things to her but had to sell in the end. But I never stop thinking about owning an RS2000 one day. But boy are they expensive now.
The 1.6 ghia mk2 was a great car, too. Basically a Mexico with a nice interior.
Oh my.. memories of our first car.. sadly it had to disappear from our family.. and me as a 2 year old son by the had no idea what it would be such a classic car of ages.. hopefully ill find it again soon ans restore it..
Not really a Ford fan, but always had a soft spot for the Mk11 Escort and the Mk11 Cortina. Another great review Paul
In 1990 had one in black 2" straight through copper pipe. Awesome. We had a road where I lived at the time that was .9 of a mile long more or less dead straight and I lived at one end. . When I turned the top corner coming off night shift (7.30am) I'd give the pedal a blip, the sound carried all the way down and my wife would put on the kettle. Stunning car. Until some kind person decided they wanted it. Stole from works car park never to be seen again. Bought off a dentist with the reg "GUM 13T". It was broken into previously on my drive, opened the door sat in drivers seat and thought, "where the heck is the steering wheel" and there it was laid on the passenger seat. Snapped off, had to clamp mole grips on the stub that was left to get it to the garage.......and there's the rub having anything with class, style or sporty, there always a target for the thieving reptiles that abound unfortunately. No garage buyer beware. I'd have another like a shot.
Great review of an iconic car. 🚙👍
I used to road rally in a RS2000 with the nose cone. It was a liability - one whack of a high bank and it came away, leaving the car unusable. Repairs were a pain because of the unusual wings (and this was when they could still be found easily, around 1987). We converted to a flat front and it was just better - better lights, more robust, better cooling, could take the odd knock without a problem.
Brings back fond memories. I had a white RS2000 second hand in 1979 then bought a new one TLG 76V from Kirbys of Wrexham in April 1980 for £2,500 - Venetian red - beautiful car until it got stolen in Manchester :(
Bought another one KVO 455W also in Venetian red in 1982 for around £4k second hand as they had stopped making this model. Also wished like others i had kept it.
I had one mk2 escort 1600 sport two door in white and a flat nose without the chrome trim and had split bumpers front and rear and a soft rear wing.i loved my escorts I also Owend 4x four doors that was 14years ago and I still want another.....the good old days 😊 (Ford escort for life) 👍
I was offered an immaculate beige rs2000 custom (non sunroof) mk2 escort with chocolate interior for £2000 back in 2004, but i just couldn't get over the horrid council estate colour combo, yes i kick myself regularly for not snapping it up.
Fortunately this was never sold here in the USA. Our Escort was a dowdy basic form of transportation available as coupe, sedan or wagon (first 3 generations) and was succeeded by the focus.
Nice review , next classic review , ooh 1990s RS2000 4wd too.
The worst Richard Hammond impersonation..........
In the world.
Lol😂😂😂u nailed that mate,fuckin tosser this chap,
Bodie had a Silver mk3 Capri 3.0s in the Professionals matey. It was Doyle that had the Escort RS2000.
Both had Capri at one time!Even drove a dolomite tr7 in early episode s!!!!
Nicely done !
Richard Hammond gets younger and younger. Escort mk2 then flat front 👍🏻.
Flat front all the way! Wish I still had my signal orange mk2. Incredible fun in the snow.
I had a mk 2 RS2000 back in the eighties. Good times.
I had one. White, with brown fishnet recaros. Lovely car!!
I was happily watching this thinking it would be a decent length video and reminiscing about the RSs i had owned and all of a sudden it finished??
nice car my friend owned this car in the late 80s it was in black which is the original colour of this car still got sum photos it had a 2.1 race engine 0-60 in 6seconds it was very quick back in the day the engine work was done by RALLY X in Darlington County Durham other than the engine work the car was quite standard it still had the original dealer plates on and tax holder etc Neeshams Ford of Teeside . Its sad to see the car not in its original colour but never thought this car would still be on the road as a lot of these cars were either written off or stolen
My dream car would be an RS2000 with a flat front, Tarmac arches, Azure blue Body paint and Black minilites.. With either a cossie Dohc Turbo..Or a 2L Zetec on 45 webbers..
Black trim and a set of Black OMP grip bucket seats..
A man can dream !!!!
I remember people liking the slope grill more back in the day.
RR PLANB correct. It was the one to have. He’s talks some crap in this video.
great video, I loved those cars as a kid
Had a nice 79 Plate RS2 in black with black vinyl roof but heavily modified (NWX 94V) sold it for 2k mid early 90's.
Also sold x2 RS16ooi's (CRY 900Y) can't remember Plate of red one about same time for next to nothing due to using a works vehicle before tracker's came into effect.
Nice report and nice car
Nice review - can't help thinking you may have wish you were born as Richard Hammond tho?🤣😂🤣👍
What a handbag I only clicked to see a classic car rip the shit out of the road and got this handbag miss daisying along to the coast for a sandwich
You said handbag twice. You ok?
you don't need genuine rs 2000 wings to fit that front. you can use mk2 wings and cut and fold in the relevant place.thats all ford done.
Arh, forgot on the first time round: On a random tuesday afternoon, my ex-boss drove up next to me at a red ligth in his 1979 6.6l Firebird (the one with a GIANT bird decal on the hood). My RS2000 beat the overweight Firebird. Oh, the joy 😝
ex's father had one these back in early 90's in white awesome car.
I had a yellow one GSG 376T which did 76,000 miles. Not good if you damage the nose as you need to buy a whole new one. Looks good but flat front is more practical. Thanks for the memories.
I think a lot of would be surprised how slow these things are nowadays even when compared to the average say modern day family hatch and what barge like handling they have....still absolutely love them though.
A friend of mine with an old port polished ‘67 Datsun bluebird 411 once cockily challenged his colleague to a drag race. The moment he saw the colleague bring in a mk2 Escort, he admitted all of a sudden to be having like butterflies in his stomach and nearly backed out of the race.
The MK1 RS2000 being the superior car, a real AVO car
I always found the mark 1 ugly
Nice review son !
A Richard Hammond clone I think, shame. I had a 1978 RS2000 custom in Venetian red with a black vinyl roof, wish I'd kept hold of it now. I would love another but they fetch silly money now.
No 5 speed box or overdrive option which really did set it back as an everyday car on the motorway compared to say a Triumph Dolomite Sprint, which also had a better engine, and the Alfasud 1.5, which had a 5 speed box but the car was a rust bucket. Both Dolomite and RS2000 cars were used in the Professionals TV show, with Dolomite in S1, and the Fords in S2 and on. On modern roads, a 4 speed box as in the RS2000 is just so dated, and rear leaf springs is so dated, but can be converted to say a Sierra type 9 5 speed box. Just been watching the show again here on RUclips!
The RS2000 didn't offer much really...
Iron block, iron cylinder head, 2 valves per cylinder, live rear axle, leaf springs, 4 speed 'box.
This is what your basic car had back in the '70s. OK, it had allow wheels and OHC engine, which not all cars had but it offered little else.
Dolly Sprint had 4 valves/cyl, double-wishbone front suspension, alloy cylinder head, overdrive box (so 6 ratios) and also alloy wheels and OHC.
The droop snoot was put on because it improved top speed by a couple of mph, fuel economy was also slightly better and it looked better and more modern in the showrooms than the flat front. Oh it also had 4 halogen Cibie or Bosch headlights which were superior to the 2 headlamps standard on Escorts then.
The Recaros were part of the customs pack Ford offered back then and were superior to the normal Escort seats.
The engine had a freer flowing exhaust and better air box then the Cortina and Capri which had the same basic pinto sohc engine, the exhaust and air box Mids gave around an extra 10 bhp.
The droop snoot, the wings and Recaros were expensive and sought after by boy racers even back in the 80s when the Escort was a favourite.
I don’t remember anyone calling Fords X Pack body kits series x they were X pack kits.
Ford used to do X pack kits for the Capri and Cortina as well and suspension and wheel upgrades such as single rear leaf springs, better struts and bushes.
Next time you do a video try talking to the RS owners who are really up to speed on the cars and ffs give up on the hamster does Shakespeare impressions 😊
Of course the sports had 2 halogen spot lights
Hamster clone or not: I'd watch him present motoring shows. Well done dude.
I had one of these in the very same colour, riviera blue. But mine had a black fishnet recaro custom interior. Sold it for centrol heating in my and the misses first house. 😪
It's hard to imagine that this new was more than the base model rs1800, now look at the prices of those, it's crazy £35000 +!!. My dream car tho nether the less.
The rs1800 had a BDA though
Exactly, that's why it should be more, plus they only made 109 including 20 of them custom ones, doesn't figure!
dose not help that you could also get the cortina spec 2.0L pinto in the base escort in Australia making the rs2000 that little less special
Duck Hunter the rs 1800 had the BDA though
We could never get the rs1800 in aus we had the Rallypack which sorta looked like them with the driving lights, front and rear spoilers, the 1/4 bumpers and sports handling pack,
even our RS2000 only has the 94hp Cortina engine but we could get it as a 4 door as well as coupe.
we also had the Sundowner Van which was a Rally pack in van form with a special sticker pack
have a factory Ghia 2.0L myself its quick for what it is.
The escort was Doyle's car not bodies his was the Capri 3.0s though he did drive the escort it in the show.
6:18 it was Doyle!Bodie drove a capri 2.0 s
Richard Hammond meets Royal Shakespeare Company. FFS enough about the grille mate!
2:08 The Harrier didn’t have the same chassis as an RS 2000. A Harrier was just a tarted-up 1600 Sport sold as a run out model at the end of Mk2 production. All RS cars had a strengthened chassis. Fail.
Love it........ it is about the grill
mine was yellow with a black interior and went like stink!
It also went......when family started...I miss mine soooo much!
any pics?
Sad :(
One of the most satisfying cars I've ever driven
Lo.tienes a la venta.en América del Sur,ese auto?
utterly fantastic, miss mine greatly
Good video
There's no doubt about it in my mind, the flat front end looks a lot better than the droop snoot one. Having said that, over the years I've been slowly getting accustomed to the original RS2000 front end, but I still have a love hate relationship with it. The same goes with my own Opel Manta B! There are days when the pointy nose looks cooler than anything else, and other times I wish it was slanted the other way. I guess that's why I got an model A Ascona as a project car. As far as GM cars go, the Vauxhall Chevette is a good looking car, but the Cavalier Mk 1 is really horrible. It's all about the balance between the front and the back, and on the Cavalier there is none. It's like two completely different cars put together.
I agree flat front is best. This makes the car look more like the rally editions of the mk2.
Thought I recognised that reg plate, and the Yorkshire Wolds roads...
I live in Aus and you can still collect one of these for 25-35k. I'm hoping I can snatch one of these up before it's too late.
Yeah but your talking about the four door (not cool) everyone wants the two door & they fetch big money.
@@markmezo This comment is 3 years old, they've shot up in price heavily since.
Yes but not a real RS2000
@@ericbennik2071 Not now, comment is 4 years old sky-rocketed in price since.
Was Doyle's car in The Professionals, not Bodie's. Everyone knows that....
Ya right there a lot of people get this mixed up
I've only seen bodie (rip) drive the rs2000 once in the pro's....geeza
ps both had 3000s capris
Jim Timber A Mk2 X Pack 3.0 S as well. I like the Mk1 Mk3 better👌🏻
I’m pretty sure it was a 2.0s Capri and not a 3 litre. I didn’t think they used the Essex V6 3.0 in the mk3 Capri. They used the 2.8 Cologne engine didn’t they?
I stand corrected! It was a 3.0 and not a 2 litre. The 2.8 didn’t come in until 1982. Besides it explains why Bodie was always late. He was either off grid with the female characters or pulling the Capri out of a hedge after wet weather driving! It all make sense to me now. Hooray for Wikipedia!
He's better or as good as any other TV show presenter give this guy a job
ie hamond from old topgear
TheCitroenman1 bang right. He's good but fuck having two hamsters, one's enough.
I'm going to be curmudgeonly. The first minute is a waste of space. The bulk of the video is him driving very carefully along a nondescript road. He has the screen presence of a RUclips computer games reviewer.
what color has this beast? :)
I had the matchbox version in this exact color
the best ford ever made
+Victor Whitaker G'day...I owned two of these Mk 2's...A 1.6 litre and a 2.0 litre...top little cars...and will always have a soft spot for them..I hope you mean the best four cylinder Ford ever though because there have been and still are some wonderful 6 cylinder and legendary V8's in the blue oval..Look up Falcon F6, XR6 , turbo and non turbo with the inline 4.0 litre 6 cylinder engines..GT Falcons , FPV and Tickford Falcons (V8's) from Australia and the Mustangs and GT40's among many from the USA..in the blue oval...Cheers Rod...
The Escort Cosworth an Sierra Cosworth better cars. So no not best ford ever made.
I owned an escort rs2000 mk1 for 6 happy years. i then bought a mk2 which was the pits.I sold it after 18 months and bought a Golf GTI which was superior in all aspects.
Great car in the day I had a black RS2000 Custom reg PRN640T long gone I am sad to say
The front on the RS 2000 mk2 is the best looking out of all the escorts!
funny to think how much I wanted one back in the day, considering my current mk 2.5 focus pile of poop would rip it to shreds, how times change I'd take my old mk1 2ltr v4 capri over one anyday
my dream car is the rs 1600 but both are beautiful cars
The 2 litre Escort engine has one problem,, it is a big heavy lump. And they never handle as well.
You can make them go quite hard but that weight kills them.
The plastic front with all the reo adds to that too. BUT it is more distinctive.
awsome mate. :-)
Spot on pal
Still miss my red RS2000 DUD 12V. Wish I still had it. Purchased it from Mike Youngs in Ilford
+Glenn Clark i used to work at mike youngs as a car valeter back in 1989, only done it for a week as it was a shit job. but i loved all the rs cars that were there.
Yes he was alright, but came across as a bit 'dodgy' hahahahah
Glenn Clark yes your right there, he had a bad reputation of selling dodgy RS's, thats probably why he shut shop.
streetbass 786 Oh no. I bought 3 from there hahahahah
I bought my RS from Mike Youngs too it was UVP 220S.They took me into the garage to pick it up,it started up it gave me a hard on like a milk bottle.Great garage,great cars just could afford to insure it again,in 1984 I was 18 they bought it back from for 200 less I paid for so god bless them .No dodgy garage there .
Stunning.
I own the RS FORD ORION 1992 The in May
A Prototype Car made by Cosworth Team in Cornwall England
I wanna see some more of that Mk1 Fez Ghia sitting behind it in the container! haha
+Sam Russell Bump strip runners are black so maybe not a ghia so don't let those wheels fool you... or it could be the other way around...lol
Yeah could be lol, bump strips looked like the black ones with the chrome detailing to me but I guess we'll never know!
Still missing mine AJA23T black custom
Awesome!
He forgot to mention the X-Pack wings which tied in with RS2000 nosecone very well.
I had a Mexico with a two litre lump.
X pack wing used to crack near any joints in bodywork
he is so much like richord hammond shame it ruins the video about such a great car
i wishd id had some day black rs2000. red rs1800. 2 xr3 escorts white and yellow
Love how people are saying that he reminds them of Richard Hammond like that's a bad thing. There are worse things lol! Love this - original script, if you wrote it urself that is
Richard Hammond is a total bellend though !
A millionaire bellend.
The sloped noses were a copy of the Americans due to the Plymouth roadrunner and Daytona breaking high speed record due to improved aerodynamic s,hence forth Britain adopted it with the rs ,and Vauxhall did the same with the firenza ,chevette etc.
nice this blue rs 2000
i like the RS 2000 but i prefer the 1800 just for the rally pedigree and the BDA engine, i can't afford either anyway so who cares i already have a 3 Litre Capri and i'm happy with that haha
Lovely looking RS and many thousands has been spent on it's restoration.... but!!
Would like to have looked under the bonnet.
Remove the black paint off the sills, back to blue.
Lower window seals need re-newing.
Leather effect vinyl cover missing from seat belt pillar.
RS2000 rear quarter decals in the wrong place - should align up with indicator.
RS2000 boot decal also in the wrong place - should be higher.
The black vinyl or sprayed on rear section between the rear lights shouldn't be on this machine, Ford stopped putting it on RS's from early 1979 as they thought it looked old fashioned.
Capri alloy wheels not true Ford RS items.
What are the long bits on the grille, eitherside of the Ford badge...Add on maybe :-(
Driverside door mirror looks sad! It's not level.
Some daft bugger put in a sunroof! But hey they was the rage then and I put one in my RS too.
Damn young car jurnos, MK2 desireablity from top to bottom for me went: RS1800, Mexico, RS2000, Harrier, 1600 Sport, 1300 Sport, Capitol, GL, L so it definately wasn't the pinnacle of the MK2 Escort (in my mind at least).
I lusted after a rs2000 but in NZ it was twice the price of the 1600 sport $19k =£50k in today's money
Want one so bad
Beautiful cars \m/,
I'm sure it was Doyle that had the Escort and Bodie the Capri....
look like Capri lazer rims not proper rs2000's
+Mr Hollywood They do look like Laser rims! Suppose the originals got fucked up in it's life.
i remenber when laser was introduced in the market to boost the sales, it was a sticker saying laser with at the time modern letter design, the capri was a car that i enjoyed since a kid i had a mkI when 14 but with a 1.3L engine it looked like a tiny part inside the engine bay wich was huge ,at the time i thought that was for a v8 engine in the U.S, this because i saw a movie where you can see a capri mkI parked on a 1 minute frame,regards